Bai Li took a deep breath and slowly spoke, tossing out the first question.
“Ziya, in your heart, how do you see Sister Baining?”
Hearing this, Ziya’s small body stiffened slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, she whispered, “Um… Father, for us to talk about my sisters behind their backs, isn’t that…”
“Silly child.”
Bai Li couldn’t help but chuckle softly, his tone both gentle and serious.
“How can a heart-to-heart conversation between family members be called ‘talking behind their backs’? That makes it sound so distant. I just want to understand the true relationship and thoughts between you sisters. I don’t mean to scold you at all.”
He took a soft breath, his tone gradually becoming a bit heavier, and a trace of undetectable worry flickered in his eyes.
“I always feel that our once harmonious and happy family has now quietly developed an invisible rift and fragmentation. We seem close, but in reality, there’s an invisible thin wall between our hearts.”
Ziya looked up, her eyes full of confusion and unease.
“Why would you say that, Father?”
“Ziya, ask yourself.”
Bai Li gazed at her seriously.
“In the past, you would come to tell me the first moment anything happened, never hiding anything from me. But now? Are you truly not hiding things from your father time and time again?”
Ziya’s face turned slightly pale, and she quickly shook her head.
“I’m not hiding anything from Father…”
“I know you didn’t mean to.”
Bai Li gently interrupted her, his tone devoid of blame, only filled with heartache and helplessness.
“Ziya, some things only bring more trouble if discussed too much. Let’s not talk about that for now. Let’s talk about Baining instead. From the bottom of your heart, what kind of feeling do you have for this sister of yours?”
Realizing she was in the wrong, Ziya lowered her small head.
After a moment of silence, she responded softly, “Sister Baining… in my heart, she has always been someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart.”
Childhood memories surfaced, and her gaze gradually softened.
“Actually, ever since we were very young, she has always taken meticulous care of me.”
Bai Li was slightly stunned, his eyes full of surprise.
“…Is that so?”
This answer was completely outside his expectations.
He had originally thought Baining was the most willful, mischievous, and clingy of the three children, always pouncing on him for kisses and hugs, her personality bold and straightforward.
He had always thought Baining was the one being taken care of, never imagining that in places he couldn’t see, Baining had always been silently and carefully looking after Ziya.
“Yes, I know Father certainly wouldn’t think so,” Ziya said softly.
“But many things and lessons from my childhood were taught to me bit by bit with great patience by Sister Baining. She never takes credit openly; she always protects me and accompanies me silently in private, never having a single complaint.”
Bai Li remained silent for a moment, his heart filled with a mixture of emotions — sudden realization, guilt, and heartache.
As a father, he had failed to notice such deep and delicate feelings between his daughters.
He had been far too negligent.
“Mhm… then it’s my turn to ask you.”
Bai Li spoke slowly, his tone becoming serious again.
“Since you sisters have such a good relationship and have supported each other, why do I feel that the relationship between you now isn’t as seamless and close as before?”
As his voice fell, the air instantly fell into a dead silence.
Ziya bit her lip tightly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
She said nothing, her small face written with internal struggle and difficulty.
After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice carrying a trace of an undetectable tremble.
“Father… I understand what you mean.”
How could Ziya not understand?
Bai Li’s words clearly had a deeper meaning.
The turning point of all this beautiful peace stemmed from that night shrouded in selfishness and obsession.
It was the obsession and desire in the hearts of the three of them that shouldn’t have existed, exploding at the same time on the same night.
Together, they had transformed the man who was originally their father, Lü Erlu, into the current Bai Li.
Since that day, the pure and sincere feelings between the sisters had quietly soured.
The originally unbreakable bond was now covered by a thin layer of competition and rivalry… openly and secretly, they were all cautiously fighting for Bai Li’s attention and favoritism.
Without realizing it, the sisters who were once inseparable had added a few layers of silent tension and maneuvering.
For example, regarding the matter of entrusting the Military Power to Baining, Ziya wasn’t unaware of the hidden risks and dangers.
However, she ultimately couldn’t overcome the deep sisterly bond from many years.
She chose to trust her sister unconditionally, giving it to her without a moment’s hesitation.
But until recently, she had only vaguely noticed that a thought seemed to be growing in Baining’s heart — a desire to secretly monopolize this power and the time spent with Bai Li.
Of course, Baining would never do anything to harm her, but that vaguely revealed attitude clearly served as a silent reminder: ‘Don’t think about hogging Bai Li all to yourself; I’m always watching you.‘
That silent proclamation and wariness were like a small needle pricking her heart — it didn’t hurt, but it made one feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
The air fell silent again, suffocatingly heavy.
Bai Li knew they couldn’t stay at an impasse like this and was the first to break the silence.
His tone carried a trace of long-suppressed earnestness and worry.
“Ziya, if you truly understand my feelings, then please, don’t keep anything hidden from Father anymore, okay?”
Ziya jerked her head up, her eyes full of guilt and unease.
“I don’t… no…”
“Do you know how much I’ve worried about you all during this time? Worried that you sisters would fall out, worried that you’d suspect each other, worried that because of a momentary lapse in judgment, you’d make a decision you’d regret for the rest of your lives.”
Ziya’s lips trembled, but she couldn’t say a word.
“With such a major matter, all of you chose to keep it from me and carry it alone.”
Bai Li’s voice rose slightly, carrying a hint of pain.
“By doing this, don’t even talk about whether you still treat me as your father. I even feel that you don’t treat me as family at all!”
“No… that’s not it!”
Ziya’s eyes instantly reddened with urgency, her voice carrying a sob as she shook her head frantically.
“I’ve always treated you as the person I respect, love, and can’t live without most! Not for a single moment has that ever changed!”
“This is the Human-Blood Race War!”
Bai Li took a deep breath, his tone incredibly heavy.
“This is a war where blood will truly be shed, people will get hurt, and lives will even be lost! Do you know how much suffering and fear I feel in my heart when I think about you all being in danger, yet still keeping your mouths shut?”
Ziya’s whole body shook.
Startled, she widened her eyes and gazed at her father in disbelief.